Z9 Front and Rear Command Dials

[Michael Erlewine]

I finally got my Z9, which is beautiful, but I cannot figure out how to program the front and rear command dials. I would like the two command dials programmed to Aperture and Shutter speed. Please explain the steps to do this.  Thanks.

[Snoogly]

Sorry I don’t have a 9 on hand, but I guess it will be the same Menu tweaking as the other Z cameras.

Having said that, I constantly need to Google settings I have already used because the menu is so unintuitive.

[Akira]

Apparently, you should be able to assign the functions to the command dials under the menu item f2...

[Kenneth Rich]

" I would like the two command dials programmed to Aperture and Shutter speed. Please explain the steps to do this." Yes, Michael, I bet you would.  I would want/need a mechanical aperture ring and a shutter wheel on the top deck, but that is unintuitive me.

[Michael Erlewine]

I finally figured it out. The Z9 is more complex than any Nikon camera I have had, and I have had about all of the digital cameras from the beginning.

[MILLIREHM]

I finally figured it out. The Z9 is more complex than any Nikon camera I have had, and I have had about all of the digital cameras from the beginning.

Good That you figured it out.
The Command Dial settings indeed are in Custom Settings Menu F2.
And per default the front dial wheel changes Aperture and the back wheel Shutter speed (in Manual exposure mode)

[BruceSD]

The Z9 is more complex than any Nikon camera I have had.

I hate overly complex digital cameras, with ever more and more features I'll never use.

I used to read new camera manuals cover to cover (multiple times), but since all the manuals are now over 400 pages, I no longer do that.

Do any of you also long for a simpler Nikon camera with lots of dials and none of the frilly scene modes?

[Luc]

Do any of you also long for a simpler Nikon camera with lots of dials and none of the frilly scene modes?

I've given up hope for such a camera from Nikon. Luckily I own a first generation Fuji X100 with "lots of" dials and a very simple menu with basic settings I never change.

[Roland Vink]

I hate overly complex digital cameras, with ever more and more features I'll never use.

I used to read new camera manuals cover to cover (multiple times), but since all the manuals are now over 400 pages, I no longer do that.

Do any of you also long for a simpler Nikon camera with lots of dials and none of the frilly scene modes?

I doubt the Z9 has any scene modes. The complexity will be due to multiple configurations possible for AF, VR, metering, ISO, white balance, video, scene recognition, setup of buttons, saving and recalling custom settings, and so on. Not every photographer will use every option, but I am sure all options are used by one photographer or another. For a professional camera like this, Nikon needs to cater to everyone else people will complain. I guess the trick is to set it up how you need it and leave the rest.

But I do sympathize, with my Nikon FE2 I knew how everything was set up with simple and direct controls. It had the right balance between automation and user control for me. I used it for many years, a near perfect film camera.

[aerobat]

Modern cameras have become quite complex and I don't think that their manuals are very helpful. I usually buy a third party book like Thom Hogan's camera books to get a better understanding of the camera concepts. Once setup I rarely deep dive into menus to change settings. Most of us have year long experience and have grown with the digital camera development. But I have seen beginners struggle big times using a modern day camera. I believe that some serious out of the box thinking and redesign of the camera user interface would help making them attractive to a wider user base.

[MFloyd]

With my D6, I’m using a quite fair share of the camera’s features. Despite I’m using this camera every day, I’m still struggling in which menu I have to look for a particular feature.

[Dogman]

Without any experience with any Z-series Nikon, I recall seeing the Z5 mentioned as a simpler alternative.  Don't know how much simpler it might be but, yes, simple is something I prefer.  As it stands, I'm so familiar with Nikon DSLRs now they all seem relatively simple to operate.  It makes me hesitate to try anything new, knowing what I'm using is totally satisfactory for my very simple requirements.

[Jack Dahlgren]

Modern cameras have longer manuals because the number of things they can do is greatly expanded. Autofocus is a huge topic, then there are modes for resolution, frame rates, control settings, image type, viewfinder display and so on. An old film camera had just enough modes to meter and open and close the shutter. The hardest part was winding the film correctly.

I think that many of the new capabilities are helpful to me so I put in the effort to understand them, but I can imagine that for some, a simpler device might be more comfortable.

[Michael Erlewine]

I am used to modern cameras, and digital ones in particular. However, when I get something like the Z9, where they not only have added stuff, but shifted other stuff around, I am anxious until I manage to find all of the main things I need in order to photograph. It usually takes me a few minutes. With the Z9, it took me longer. I love the Thom Hogan Z9 manual, but he has essays embedded in that manual and to begin with I just need to know a few logistical pieces of info. I am good now and am impressed by the EVF and LCD screens...and other things sure, as I find them.

[Kenneth Rich]

Well, Jack, you make some valid observations, and none is more truthful than "a simpler device might be more comfortable." Along with the old Dumbos like me, there are clearly some bright. experienced photographers who also think things are getting out of hand, and it makes me wonder if Nikon thinks so also, but they haven't done much about it, other than not supply a manual with the camera except for replacing it with a  beginners' guide to charging the battery, turning on the camera and snapping a pic that just won't wait.  I have a simple solution for Nikon: build cameras that come with half a dozen image cards with no images other than a series of menus, each labeled from simple to complex, and each with a simple instruction:" Load me first, Dumbo", up to the final card which will indicate it is intended for Geniis and complexity lovers. When each is loaded it will fill in the blank menu page relevant to the pupil who is struggling to understand the camera- firmware without learning how to download the firmware. When the pupil has mastered the final menu, they will have what they need to understand a Z9.